Posted: 14 Feb 2010 08:04 PM PST

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By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
In Print: Monday, February 15, 2010

DAYTONA BEACH

He never led a lap. Not for the first 100 miles. Not for the first 300 miles. Not even the first 500 miles.

For more than six hours, Jamie McMurray was little more than an afterthought in the season-opening Daytona 500. He was upstaged by the 20 other drivers who took turns leading the race. He was upstaged by new rules. He was even upstaged by a race-halting pothole.

But when a string of yellow flags led to multiple restarts in NASCAR's new overtime system, McMurray grabbed the lead for the first time after 515 miles and held off a thrilling charge by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap to win Sunday's Daytona 500. Or, if you prefer, the Daytona 520.

When it was all over, McMurray did a brief

burnout before getting out of his car and falling to his knees on the Daytona 500 logo painted on the infield grass.

And then the driver, who was dropped by Roush Fenway Racing at the end of last year, celebrated the biggest victory of his career by crying when the television cameras finally reached him for a postrace interview.

"My dad cries a lot," McMurray said later. "When I was sitting in the car I was like, 'Whew, I don't want to look at him before I do my TV interview because I know I'm going to break down.' And, just so you guys know, my dad left before the race was over.

"But, you know, my dad and my wife … you know you do something that you love, you want to share that with the people you love. …"

And McMurray, 33, began sobbing again.

Considering the way his career has evolved the past few months, his emotions were understandable.

Once a young hotshot hired by Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates to replace Sterling Marlin in 2002, McMurray's career went off track when he switched to Roush in 2006. With Roush forced to reduce his number of teams by NASCAR last season, McMurray briefly found himself out of a job.

Coming off a 22nd place finish in the Sprint Cup standings in 2009, McMurray had to convince a sponsor and his old ownership team to give him a second chance with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing — which was formed from a merger of Ganassi's team and Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team started by Dale Earnhardt Sr.

"To be in the position that I was four or five months ago, to have Chip and Felix and (primary sponsor) Bass Pro Shops welcome me into their organization, it means a lot," McMurray said. "It's a great way for me to be able to pay those guys back."

It never would have happened if NASCAR hadn't tweaked its green-white-checkered rules this month. Previously, a race under caution could be restarted one time (one green-flag lap, one final white-flag lap, and a checkered-flag winner) but NASCAR is now permitting up to three green-white-checkered finishes in the event of multiple cautions.

The new rule went into effect Sunday with green-flag restarts after the 198th, 202nd and 206th laps. Had NASCAR been operating under the old system, Greg Biffle would have been declared the winner after the first green-white-checkered start. McMurray led only two of 208 laps, the fewest ever by a Daytona 500 winner.

"I was thinking, 'Why do I have to be the first candidate after the rule change to be the guy who didn't get the win?' " Biffle said. "But … that's just the way it is."

The race, which was slowed by two red flags for repair on a pothole, was highlighted by a record 21 different leaders who exchanged the lead 52 times.

Earnhardt was as far back as 22nd on the first restart but charged wildly through the field in the final laps before running out of time. He finished 0.119 seconds behind, followed by Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Zephyrhills' David Reutimann.

"It was all a blur. I was just going wherever they weren't," Earnhardt said. "I really don't enjoy being that aggressive, but if there was enough room for the radiator to fit, you just kind of held the gas down and prayed for the best."

McMurray knew exactly who was behind him as he approached the checkered flag.

"When I saw the (No.) 88 behind me, I thought, 'Oh no,' " McMurray said. "He had a good car and I just thought — Earnhardt and Daytona, they win all the time it just seems like. You never know what to expect."

Information from Times wires was used in this report.

[Last modified: Feb 15, 2010 12:01 AM]

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Names & News in Business - Globe Gazette

Posted: 13 Feb 2010 10:14 PM PST

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globegazette.com Privacy Policy: (hide)
Welcome to the web sites of the Globe Gazette, a media company located in eastern Iowa. We believe in your right to know what information is collected during your visit to our web sites and how the information is used and safeguarded.

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Next Maine Event: Hit the beach for some February fun - Maine Sunday Telegram

Posted: 13 Feb 2010 08:41 PM PST

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OLD ORCHARD BEACH WINTER CARNIVAL

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 18, through Saturday, Feb. 20

WHERE: Various locations in Old Orchard Beach

HOW MUCH: $10 button includes all events and can be purchased at McDonald's Garage, Seacoast RV, the town recreation department, JJ's Eatery and Board Silly. Friday's game night is $5 without a button. Saturday's live music with Motor Booty Affair is a $10 cover or free for button wearers.

FOOD: Several restaurants open

PARKING: Easy on-street or park free in nearby lots.

DON'T MISS: Human dog-sled racing all day Saturday, because that's not something you see every day. Or ever.

KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: Friday and Saturday events include a children's performer and outdoor activities designed for kids. They'll really get a kick out of dressing up for Saturday's Character Breakfast.

BENEFIT: Proceeds benefit OOB365 and its efforts to promote Old Orchard Beach as a year-round destination.

WEATHER: Events will go on, rain, snow or shine.

MORE INFO: www.oob365.com

Winter weekends are typically consumed by thoughts of functional fleece, automotive de-icer and maintaining proximity to hot beverages. And once-treasured beaches take a back seat to snow-covered slopes and groomed trails farther inland.

But the Winter Carnival in Old Orchard Beach next weekend aims to bring locals down to the sand and water, despite the seemingly incongruent season.

The three-day event begins Thursday night and continues with events Friday night and all day Saturday at various locations in Old Orchard Beach. A $10 button gets you into all the carnival activities.

Fest-goers can watch an ice sculpture demonstration on Old Orchard Street, ice bowl at Loranger Middle School and compete like dogs in a human sled relay.

The Winter Carnival is a first for Old Orchard Beach, though the event is one of a handful put on in the last several months by the group OOB365. Formed last year, OOB365 aims to draw visitors to the oceanside town in every season.

Summer's already covered, with out-of-towners and locals filling the beaches, patios and sidewalks from June to September. But winter's chill ushers most of the crowd away.

The opportunity to toboggan down Old Orchard Street might be just the thing to entice folks back to the seaside.

The "beachbogganning" takes place all day Saturday and participants don't even need to worry about hauling a sled into town. Toboggans will be available for use or you can carry in your own.

But before sleds go wild on the streets, the carnival's indoor entertainment begins on Thursday when Jimmy the Greek's plays host to the Miss Winter Carnival Pageant starting at 6 p.m.

On Friday, the kid-friendly festivities can be found at Loranger Middle School on Saco Avenue beginning at 11 a.m. Children's performer T-Bone will keep the young ones entertained, as will the snowman contest, snowball throwing contest and ice bowling.

Should snow be at a loss, event organizers still plan to have plenty of fun outdoor games ready.

"Snow or no snow, we're going to go out and play," said Jen DeRice, who works for Old Orchard Beach's recreation department and is also helping to put Winter Carnival together.

Friday evening the adults can get in on the Left-Right-Center dice game tournament at JJ's Eatery or play a hand or two of Texas Hold 'Em at Strike Zone. Events at both locations are $5 or free for button wearers. Games begin at 6 p.m. and are first come, first served.

Saturday is full of activities, starting with the Character Breakfast at JJ's Eatery at 7 a.m. Diners dressed up as their favorite Disney character get breakfast for $1. That includes you too, Dad.

Beachboganning on Old Orchard Street begins at 10 a.m. and continues throughout the day. Also starting at 10 a.m. will be human dog-sled racing in Memorial Park. Teams of five (one person in the sled, four people pulling) race against each other to see who can haul their sled across the finish line first. (Leashed dogs are welcome to spectate and laugh.)

At noon, the brave will dive into the Atlantic for the Penguin Plunge, with proceeds benefiting the restoration of Old Orchard Beach's Ballpark.

After a day full of outdoor revelry, Winter Carnival closes with a walking pub tour from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The tour begins at the Bell Buoy and ends at the Oceanside Grille at the Brunswick with music by Motor Booty Affair.

Somewhere in the mix of snowmen and sleds, it might not be a bad idea to pop out onto the sand for a quiet wave-watching walk. Your family might have the whole beach to yourselves – and that's a treat you'll never get in the summer.

Shannon Bryan can be reached at 822-4056 or at:

sbryan@mainetoday.com

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